Woman now cited in Kennedy crash

14-year-old boy died in collision

A woman initially thought to be a passenger in a crash that killed a 14-year-old boy on the Kennedy Expressway over the weekend was charged Wednesday with reckless homicide.

State police expect charges to be dropped against the second occupant of the car, a man with a long record of drunken driving convictions who police initially said was driving at the time of the crash.

Tracee Castanos, 18, was allegedly intoxicated when she crashed into a mini-van while racing another car, authorities said.

Ricky Gomez, a freshman at Lane Technical High School, was thrown from the van and died a short time later.

Police said they charged Gilbert Hanna, 27, of Niles with drunken driving and reckless driving after Castanos had told them Hanna was driving the car. But Hanna continued to insist Castanos was at the wheel, so police re-interviewed witnesses and emergency crews that responded to the Sunday night crash.

On Wednesday, police and the Cook County state's attorney's office said those interviews showed Castanos was actually driving.

She was charged with reckless homicide--a charge that carries a sentence up to 14 years in prison--and was expected to appear in court for a bond hearing Thursday, said state's attorney spokeswoman Marcy O'Boyle.

Police said Castanos' blood-alcohol level was just above the legal limit of .08. Because she's a minor and was allegedly driving drunk, she faces a suspension of her license of up to 6 months, said Beth Kaufman, spokeswoman for the Illinois secretary of state's office.

Police said Castanos lives in the 3100 block of West Chase Avenue in Chicago, but the secretary of state's office said her license shows her living in the 9800 block of North Huber Lane in Niles, the same address as Hanna.

Castanos received her license in January 2000 and has a clean driving record, officials said.

The crash happened about 10 p.m. Sunday near the Kimball Avenue exit.

"Witnesses said there was a drag race between the white Honda Prelude and an unidentified black BMW," said State Police Trooper Michelle Tufenkjian. Police have no information about the black vehicle.

"They came out of nowhere," said Ricky Gomez's sister, Susana, 18, who was driving the mini-van. "All I remember is seeing a white car."

She said a woman was behind the wheel after the crash, and a man was yelling, "Tracee."

Susana and their mother, Rebecca Gomez, were slightly injured in the crash. Both have been released from Illinois Masonic Medical Center.